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Rating: 5 out of 5
I am back to watching the classics. This time, I am watching all the Universal Pictures Monster movies or the Dark Universe series. I’m not talking about the newest and epic failure that Universal tried to do. I’m talking about the CLASSICS. I’m referring to the original originals from the 1930s to around the 1940s or 1950s. All these movies established the horror genre and demonstrated that old-school special effects and storytelling are what made these films great. Today’s review is on Universal Pictures’ distant villain, aka The Invisible Man.
The Invisible Man is one of the movie monsters that is intriguing, yet the least memorable. If you were to name the greatest old-school movie monster, I highly doubt the Invisible Man would even break the top 15, if there are 15 movie monsters to think of. Quick history lesson: The Invisible Man was created by H.G. Wells in 1897. In Wells’ book, it refers to a scientist named Griffin who has devoted himself to research that manages to turn him invisible, but no way back. Wells created an iconic horror movie character. The 1933 version of the film is, by far, the best representation of The Invisible Man.
Directed by James Whale and starring Gloria Stuart, Claude Rains, and William Harrigan, the classic Invisible Man hits hard. The film begins on a snowy night when a stranger (Rains) bursts through the doors of The Lion’s Head Inn in the English village of Iping in Sussex. The dude looks creepy and suspicious as hell as his entire head is covered in bandages, and his eyes are covered by dark googles. The suspicious man demands a room and to be left alone. After a few days, the dude snaps at Mrs. Hall, the innkeeper’s wife. Mrs. Hall sends Mr. Hall to evict the stranger for not paying and making a massive mess in the room, as the stranger has turned the room into a full-scale chemistry lab. When Mr. Hall tries to evict dude, the dude throws Mr. Hall like he was a ragdoll down the stairs. Mrs. Hall calls the police and some local citizens, and this is where shit gets real and goes down. At this point, this is where the film becomes AWESOME! When the stranger is confronted by a policeman and the citizens, the stranger starts laughing maniacally and shows one of the best movie horror scenes at the time. As the stranger removes his bandages, he reveals himself to be invisible. The stranger proceeds to take off all his clothes and starts tormenting everyone in the village in an epic display.
The film then introduces who the stranger really is. The stranger is Dr. Jack Griffin (Rains), a chemist who, through thousands of experiments, has found the elusive secret to invisibility through a drug called monocaine. Griffin works for the renowned Dr. Cranley (Travers) and is engaged to Dr. Cranley’s beautiful daughter, Flora (Stuart). Flora is distraught as Griffin has been gone for a couple of days. Dr. Cranley and his assistant, Dr. Kemp, look through Griffin’s work area and find a single note. That evening, Griffin rolls up to Kemp’s home and blackmails him into helping him dominate the world through chaos and destruction. Griffin goes on a wild, destructive path.
This is where the story really takes off. You see Griffin’s full reign and how he loses his mind on full display. Griffin goes from a scientist who wants to cure himself to a complete madman who will kill anyone who gets in his way. I think the film stated that he killed over 20 policemen and 30 citizens. The scene where he pulls a search person down a cliff was insane to watch. The scene where he drives Kemp and his car off the cliff showed how crazy Griffin had gotten. During his reign of terror, there were humorous scenes, such as the bank scene, where he takes the bank drawer and throws the money in the air in the middle of the street.
I want to give the BIGGEST props to the special effects department and team of this film. The special effects are the highlight of this film. When Griffin took off his bandages, you could see the special effects outline, but it also made it believable. What was fun and exciting about the special effects was the little things the film did to make you think Griffin was in the room. How the chair rocked back and forth, the bike moving on its own, to cars moving or people being lifted, choked, or pulled. It all adds to the excitement and mystery that someone could be in the room.
I want to give praise to Claude Rains as Dr. Jack Griffin. You never saw him on camera, except for his voice. The tones he used, from surprise to anger, propelled the emotions of the character. He just had a way with his voice to strike diabolical fear in the characters around him. I loved every minute of it. The first scene, when the cop and villagers confront him, was outstanding. The maniacal laughter and monologue Rains delivered was pure perfection.
The 1933 version of The Invisible Man is awesome and fantastic. If you love classic movies and horror films, everyone should watch this film. It is a great film that is only 70 minutes long. Gotta love the short run times. The camera work is excellent, and the special effects are outstanding. The acting is great, especially by Claude Rains. Give respect and honor to the old school Invisible Man and follow a new man in terror.
BONUS CLIP!!!
